Case Study
COMPANY SNAPSHOT:
Caltrans, the National Park Service, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy / Mountains Recreation & Conservation Authority, and the National Wildlife Federation
LOCATION:
State of California
Benefits
Documents the world’s largest project for urban wildlife crossing
Captures unique visuals and wildlife sightings
Provides remote access to understand progress
Increases local and national support and awareness
The Challenge
Capturing a monumental conservation project
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is not your typical project. It’s an unprecedented, global phenomenon that’s delivering on an ambitious promise: re-connecting the Santa Monica mountains. By creating a vegetated bridge that stretches across the US 101, 10-lane freeway in California, the project will support endangered species, re-establish a critical ecosystem and encourage new efforts to protect wildlife.
The estimated $92 million project is considered a model for urban wildlife conservation and is split in two parts: phase one of the project establishes an approximate 210 ft by 174 ft crossing, and phase two will complete an additional structure over Agoura Road.
But as construction kicked off, there was one question: How would they capture this historic moment?
The Solution
Viral visuals and live views from a solar-powered camera
With decades of research and millions invested, the #Save-LA-Cougars campaign had gained public buy-in and generated excitement easily. Thousands were enthralled by the project’s mascot, P-22, a mountain lion that captured imaginations by making a dangerous trek, crossing two major freeways to reach Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Spotlighted in international news, there needed to be a way to share the excitement live and world-wide.
Thanks to a grant from the John Logan Foundation, the team was able to add OxBlue construction cameras to monitor every milestone.
The Implementation
Trekking the hilltops to get the perfect view
OxBlue partnered with two wildlife experts to determine the optimal placement for the pan-tilt-zoom camera. On a steep trail atop a hillside, they found the perfect vantage point of the entire site. Once installed, the camera’s time-lapse footage was linked to www.101wildlifecrossing.org so interested parties could see the developments in real-time. The camera takes photos every 10 minutes and captures 3 distinct views to create a panoramic visual. With a 30x optical zoom, the OxBlue camera allows users to zoom in to see incredible detail. The time-lapse feature and the ability to compare images over time allowed for detailed tracking of the construction phases.
The Results
Stunning the world with a historic, beautiful, wildlife crossing
The camera facilitated real-time documentation and sharing of the project's progress, which has been seen by millions. The team has shared images from the camera to social media, which have generated hundreds of reactions and a flood of supportive comments. The feedback highlighted how valuable the live visuals from the camera were to the public. Now, this monumental footage will be shared and used as a case study in supporting conservation efforts.
